ILGA-Europe received a Brussels Ambassador Award

ILGA-Europe were honoured to receive a Brussels Ambassador Award for our Annual Conference #IEBrussels2018. Thank you to visit.brussels for supporting and recognising the conference, which brought hundreds of LGBTI activists from across Europe and beyond to Brussels.

Last days to apply for Communications Director post

ILGA-Europe are looking for a dynamic person with strategic vision to lead our communications work at a time when Europe is at a cross-road. We have more than ever a need to develop strong narratives on equality and to articulate a compelling vision of inclusive and diverse societies. By joining ILGA-Europe, you’ll have a unique opportunity to lead on developing a strong narrative to set a progressive agenda for the next five years at European level.Read more and apply before 4 February.

Wrecking Ball 2.0: Oxford students party for LGBTI rights

Students at Kellogg College, Oxford University have announced the second edition of Wrecking Ball, a queer party to raise funds for ILGA-Europe. Supporters in Oxford, join in the fun for a good cause on 23 February.Read more about the event.

A new wave of persecutions against LGBT people

One and a half years after news first broke about persecution, imprisonment and torture of (perceived) LGBT people in Chechnya, the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta published an article on Friday, January 11, reporting that a new wave of attacks on the LGBT community in Chechnya has begun, and confirming that the situation is one of prolonged crisis and lawlessness.Read more about the news and statements.

New: ‘SOGIESC asylum mailing list’

Do you work on LGBTI asylum issues? Join our new mailing list, and share it with others. It is a space for NGOs, legal specialists, practitioners, academics and scholars to come together to strategise, share and connect around SOGIESC issues in the context of asylum in Europe. Be sure to carefully read the membership policy before registering. The list was developed in cooperation with TGEU, COC Nederland, Kaleidoscope Trust, LGBT Asylum Denmark, RFSL and UKLGIG.Join the mailing list.

COC’s LGBTI Award for Kevin Jennings

The Bob Angelo Medal of COC Netherlands this year has been awarded to Kevin Jennings, initiator of the worldwide GSA movement at schools. Kevin Jennings is awarded the Bob Angelo Medal for his outstanding contribution to the improvement of the position of LGBTI youth in schools around the globe. The Bob Angelo Medal is named after the pseudonym of Niek Engelschman, in 1946 one of the founders and first chairperson of COC Netherlands, the Dutch national LGBTI organization.Read more about the award.

Commissioner for Human Rights published a new report on Armenia

On 29 January, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published the report of her visit to Armenia, September 2018. The report highlights remaining gaps regarding the protection of LGBTI people in Armenia such as the lack of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law, specifically including sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds. The report also calls for prompt and resolute action against all instances of violence, hate speech and hate crime targeting LGBTI persons in Armenia, including the adoption of amendments criminalising hate speech and hate crimes against LGBTI persons, combined with specific trainings for law enforcement personnel and judges on SOGI.

GENDERDOC-M concerned about the new President of the PACE Commission

GENDERDOC-M Information Center is concerned about the re-election of Valeriu Ghileţchi, deputy from the incumbent Parliament of Republic of Moldova, as President of the PACE Commission for the Appointment of new ECHR Judges. According to the NGO’s statement, “Mr. Valeriu Ghilețchi’s political activity has been marked by a series of statements and actions against human rights, first of all, against the equal rights of LGBT people and against reproductive rights of women from the Republic of Moldova.”

Landmark judgment from the Constitutional Court in Lithuania

The Constitutional Court in Lithuania delivered a landmark judgment concerning residence permit for the same-sex spouse of a Lithuanian citizen. The Court affirmed that Lithuanian Constitution protects family life of same-sex couples, and that it safeguards against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. ILGA-Europe hopes that this will bring about broader legislative changes and provide for recognition and protection of same-sex unions in Lithuania in the near future.

A bisexual man from Kyrgyzstan forced to leave the country after homophobic attacks

A word “gay” was carved on a bisexual man’s body as he was attacked by a homophobic group in Kyrgyzstan. According to PinkNews, it was the second attack the man had suffered after he had filed a formal complaint about the first attack in November 2018. Allegedly the police orchestrated the second attack to teach the victim a lesson that LGBTI people shall not dare file complaints to the police. The victim had to flee the country as it was evident to him that he could not rely on state protection in Kyrgyzstan for LGBTI people.

ILGA World has a new logo representing 6 regions of LGBTI equality

ILGA World launched their new visual style which keeps the globe but brings in six shapes in six colours of the rainbow, placing them in the six regions of ILGA. The new logo and visual identity are being launched amidst the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of ILGA, which will culminate during the 2019 World Conference in Aotearoa New Zealand.Read more about ILGA World’s new visual ID and their 40th anniversary.

European Commission has new funding opportunities under their programme ‘Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020’ which includes one of the objectives as “combating racism, xenophobia, homophobia and other forms of intolerance”. The eligible countries for application are all EU Member States, Iceland (all specific objectives) and Liechtenstein (only for non–discrimination, racism, xenophobia, rights of persons with disabilities and equality between women and men).Read more about the funding.

Workshop on anti-racism messages in the EU elections

Each One Teach One (EOTO), the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI), and the European Network for People of African Descent (ENPAD) will organise a 3-day programme for anti-racist activists working to combat racist narratives in the European Parliament elections. The workshop will be between 18-21 March in Brussels and for those selected, travel and accommodation expenses will be covered.Read more and apply before 4 February.

ILGA-Europe gratefully acknowledge financial support from:

This website has been produced with the financial support of the Rights Equality and Citizenship (REC) programme 2014-2020 of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of ILGA-Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.